Welcome to London West End WI

Friday, 11 February 2011

As a fellow WI member (East End WI) I wanted to pass on some details about a free event we are organising which I think your members might be interested in. All the lectures in this lecture series are free and open to all and it is a quality line up of speakers and events. Not often you get things like this for free in London!

I have pasted in some text below which should give people all the information they need and I hope you would be happy to forward this on to your members. Tickets are available online right now. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!

LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival: Crossing Borders, Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 February 2011
Tickets are now available for the LSE Literary Festival 2011: Crossing Borders, which will be taking place from Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 February. The programme of events is designed to cross disciplinary, international and metaphorical borders, exploring the interaction between the arts and social sciences. All events are free and open to all, but a ticket must be booked online.
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/spaceForThought/LiteraryFestival2011/Home.aspx
Speakers at the Festival include sci-fi author Ken McLeod, legendary actor Ron Moody, cartoonist Steve Bell, historian Laurence Rees and journalist Jill McGivering as well as award-winning and best-selling writers Blake Morrison, John Gray, Lionel Shriver, Elif Shafak and Geoff Dyer and former poet-laureate Andrew Motion.
This event was made possible by the support of the LSE Annual Fund, Garanti Bank and Michael Uva.
Ticket Information: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/spaceForThought/LiteraryFestival2011/TicketInfo rmation.aspx

Best wishes Veronika

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Another music concert we have been emailed about

Just wanted to let all music lovers know about a fantastic concert
http://www.msf.org.uk/events.aspx

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Yazmin from Bake With Me wants to come to the Feb meeting to talk about Bake with me.

This year we are hoping to launch a new nationwide fundraising event called Bake with Me and I wondered if I could come along to your next Women's Institute meeting and maybe speak to a small group of approx 8 people to ask their opinions on our new event?

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Go to a not to be broadcast tv pilot in Chelsea on Monday 21st Feb

Well known TV production company are making a not-for-broadcast television pilot about Life Coaches where top Motivational Experts mentor undiscovered talent in the industry.
On Monday 21 February there will be an exciting motivational session taking place, led by the experts and the up and coming professionals. We are looking for people who would be interested in coming along to be part of the audience and get inspired!
The filming will take place in Chelsea, in London, between 11:45 and 1:15pm.

As we do have a limited number of places for this exclusive event anyone interested in coming along needs to email mia.lane@endemoluk.com for a place on the guest list and the details of the location.

**********************************************************Our Save Our Forests campaign is creating a national sensation! We now have nearly half a million signatures on our petition -- that's more than the population of Liverpool. [1]

That’s because we understand something the government doesn’t: our natural forests are priceless, and once they’re gone - they’re gone forever.

Our campaign is already all over the news and politicians are getting increasingly nervous. That’s why the most important thing we can do right now is spread the word and ensure our petition continues to grow as quickly as possible. [2]

Please forward this email to your friends and ask them to sign. All they have to do is click on the link and add their names:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

Government ministers are trying to distract us with warm and fuzzy words about how much they love the forests. They've announced a "consultation" on how we'd like our forests sold off - even though they already know most of us don't want them sold off at all!

Even before this so-called consultation finishes they're busy trying to change the laws that currently protect public forests. This is blatantly clearing the way for a massive sell-off. What kind of consultation is that?

Don’t let them get away with it - tell everyone you know about our campaign right now.
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

If they want a consultation, here it is: 38 Degrees members chipped in to fund a national opinion poll which proved that 84% of the public want our forests kept in public hands for future generations.

Places like the Forest of Dean, the New Forest, Grizedale, Thetford, and Alice Holt are national treasures. We don’t want the natural places that belong to future generations flogged off for a quick cash grab today. But if we don’t rally together now, we may not have a choice.

Our petition already has over 470,000 names on it, including yours. Can you help us get to 500,000? Please forward this email and ask your friends to add their name:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

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This month’s body confidence message (We had a most interesting debate last summer about Body Image and its presentation in the media and we have a campaigning committee who are passionate about this subject.)

From now on, every month we’ll be sharing a body confidence message in this newsletter – sent in by you, our supporters. This could be a top tip for feeling good about yourself, an experience you’d like to share or an interesting fact.

To get the ball rolling, this month’s message comes from Lynn Crilly:
“Learning to like and accept yourself for who you are and not who you think you should be will give you an inner strength, enabling you to follow your dreams and aspirations to the best of your ability"

Want to see your message in next month’s newsletter? Send your thoughts to info@bodyconfidence.org.uk

The Centre for Appearance Research joins the Campaign for Body Confidence

We are very pleased to welcome the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) to the Campaign’s steering group! CAR is based at the University of the West of England, Bristol, focusing on psychological and interdisciplinary research into appearance, disfigurement and body image.

At present CAR are working with our campaign partners Central YMCA on a study into the impact of airbrushing and labelling on body image – watch this space for their findings!

For more info on CAR’s work, see their website – www.hls.uwe.ac.uk/research/car

Endangered Species unveils ad campaign

Susie Orbach’s Endangered Species London summit is coming to the Southbank Centre on March 4th. It will be accompanied by events around the world celebrating body diversity and challenging the culture that teaches women and girls to dislike their own bodies.

To launch the summit, Endangered Species invited advertising and creative agencies from around the UK to submit ideas for its billboard campaign. The winning entry, by Manchester’s Red C agency, has just been unveiled and you can look out for it at 11 sites across the capital over the next month. You can also see it here - www.endangeredspecieswomen.org.uk/media

For more info about Endangered Species see the website - www.endangeredspecieswomen.org.uk

All Walks present ‘Snapped’ at the National Portrait Gallery

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk are celebrating fashion, beauty and diversity at the National Portrait Gallery this Friday, 11th February. From 6-10pm All Walks will be curating an evening of exciting events surrounding the question, ‘has fashion become the lens by which we evaluate identity today?’.

All Walks will be taking participants on a photographic trail through nine new Rankin portraits created by AW and major fashion designers (including Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood) using a diversity of models. There will also be life drawing and fashion illustration masterclasses, casting for a live portrait shoot, interactive artworks by Josephine Chime and a debate between Lorraine Candy (Editor, Elle), Lynne Featherstone (Minister for Equalities), Linda Papadopoulos (psychologist) and Erin O’Connor (model and co-founder, AW).

The event is free and all are welcome to attend – see attached flyer and for more information visit - www.npg.org.uk/whatson/late-shift/late-shift-extra-snapped

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image

As part of the Campaign for Body Confidence, in the next few months we will be establishing a cross-party interest group for MPs on Body Image – known as an All -Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The APPG on Body Image will build support across all the political parties for the body confidence agenda and as a future project may conduct an inquiry into the causes, consequences and possible solutions in combating body image anxiety.

A number of MPs have already said that they would like to play an active role in the group – including Jo Swinson, Caroline Nokes and Mary Glindon. However, the more members the better, and we’d love to hear from your MP – so we’ve created an email for you to send to them telling them why the group is so important and inviting them to express their interest, which can be found at: http://campaignforbodyconfidence.wordpress.com/appg

Central YMCA will be providing the secretariat to the group and we hope to launch the APPG this spring - more news soon!

Central YMCA and University of Westminster team up to speak to young people about body image

Central YMCA and its operation Y Touring have secured funding to work with the University of Westminster to develop and evaluate ways of promoting body confidence in children and young people. The project will start in February, and will attempt to identify effective ways of engaging young people in discussion and debate about their body image in both schools and informal education.

Royal College of Psychiatrists Christmas debate

In December, Jo Swinson MP participated in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Christmas debate, ‘are the media to blame for eating disorders?’ with two teams of psychiatrists, chaired by Dr Jim Bolton. The College told us that it was the best -attended debate they have held, well-represented and informative.

Jo set the scene by discussing how poor body image and low self-esteem contribute to eating disorders. Whilst both teams agreed about the negative effects of the bombardment of ‘perfect’ figures in media images, they acknowledged that the causes of eating disorders are more complex that one factor alone.

For more information on the work of the Royal College, visit – www.rcpsych.ac.uk
The podcast of the debate will available be on the CBC website soon.

Sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood review

Back in December, Childrens’ Minister Sarah Teather asked Reg Bailey from the Mothers’ Union to carry out an independent review on commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, to address parents’ concerns about the pressures on children to grow up too quickly.

The consultation is now calling for the submission of evidence until March 18th 2011, and is expected to report back in May.
You can submit evidence to the consultation at the following website -
www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm? action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1749&external=no&menu=1

Get involved
· Forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to sign up to the Campaign for Body Confidence.
· Spread the word by writing to your MP to tell her/him about the campaign and the Body Image APPG. Find out who your MP is, and write to them here - www.theyworkforyou.com – and our template letter about the Body Image APPG is here - http://campaignforbodyconfidence.wordpress.com/appg
· Have you found misleading and retouched advertisements? Make a complaint to the Advertising Standards Association. If you find an advertisement that has clearly been digitally altered to an extent that distorts people’s perception of bodies – log a complaint on the ASA’s website - www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA -action/How-to-complain
· Perhaps you’ve got questions, suggestions or a body confidence message to share with us? Email info@bodyconfidence.org.uk – we’d really like to hear from you.
That's all for this month!

If you took the course the last time we ran it, please be aware that your certificate is valid for 3 years only and so runs out in 2011.

If you have any queries please do get in touch

Course fees are £25 which is less than the price of taking the course online and half the price of the taking the course in person at another establishment. (We, LWWI, are supplementing the full course fees for all attendees.)

Jam & Marmalade Workshop - postponed for a few weeks

Due to a lower than expected uptake on the food hygiene course, and because we need a certain number of qualified food safety people at the jam workshop as we hope to sell some of what is made, we are going to have to postpone the course for a few weeks until we get back results for some attendees.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience of rescheduling.

Please check your email if you indicated you wish to attend or check the blog/website for the new rearranged date.

If you hope to sell preserves or cakes on behalf of the WI please do consider attending the Food Hygiene Course.

February London West End WI Meeting - Feb 15th

The February guest for our WI meeting will be Marietta from Transition Towns.

We seem to be gaining additional followers via twitter, Thanks so much to Vanessa who is our main new media updater and quite possibly thanks also to Professor Butterworth who came in to see us in January who gave us a most insightful and enjoyable talk and then tweeted about us.

British Museum - Preview of Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World on Sunday 27th February 2011.

The BM have invited us to the Community Preview of Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World at the British Museum, on Sunday 27th February 2011. The exhibition preview will take place between 12 – 5pm (last entry will be at 4pm), and all community groups who wish to bring group members to view the exhibition are welcome.

Kite Making Activity – Great Court, 12 – 2pm

Take part in a creative kite making and decorating activity. Using traditional colours and Afghan patterns decorate your very own kite and explore the significance of this popular Afghani pastime.

Community Evening View

They will also be holding a Community Evening View of the exhibition in late May. Further details of this community view will be available nearer the time.

Please do let us know if you wish to attend the special preview by emailing us at londonwestendwi@gmail.com

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NON WI Related Events

Free Tickets to Ideal Home Show for 21-27 March 2011. Available via http://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/ then go to the booking section of the site and put in the code MOS11.

Apparently they are giving away 20,000 tickets but the weekend ones are already gone.

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Haringey Council - International Women’s Day - 12th March

Haringey Council are hosting an event on 12 March to coincide with International Women’s Day. They theme of the day is resourcefulness in the recession, and they have a number of organisations involved including financial services who will be advising delegates on budgeting and spending, and an organisation that will be hosting a clothes swap shop. The council have been in touch asking if any WI’s are interested in having a stall, or hosting a workshop, or both if you have the energy! They are expecting around 1,000 women to attend so it could be a good opportunity to recruit new members.

If you are interested in getting involved please contact:

ursula.stone@haringey.gov.uk

020 8489 2585

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Million Women Rise - March 5th

Shoreditch Sisters have been in touch as they will be attending the Million Women Rise march against violence against women on 5 March. If other WI’s are planning to attend and would like to join up with the Shoreditch Sisters please contact Shoreditch Sisters Secretary Caroline Brooks on brookscaroline79@gmail.com. We will be lending out the handful of WI placards we have here at head office for use at the march.

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Women Reaching Women Conference, 12th April

The conference is free and open to all members and representatives from international development and gender organisations will also be invited. We will send out a confirmed programme of the day in due course.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Sara

Sara Mason

Campaigns and Administration Assistant

National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI)

104 New Kings Road, London SW6 4LY

T: 020 7371 9300,ext 211

F: 020 7736 3652

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Soil Association

Kathryn one of our members sent us the following which she thought some people might be interested in:

I've recently received a letter from Soil Association asking for support to stop the introduction of pig superfarms to the UK. Pigs are not meant to be confined indoors and keeping this many enclosed so tightly could have serious risk to local environment and human health. 60% of all anibiotics in farming are given to pigs. And they are the same as or closely related to those given to humans. There is reason to be concerned about the build up of antibiotic resistant genes. Then there will be the huge reservoirs of pig slurry etc.

Powerful libel lawyers are attempting to silence Soil Association, for raising their concerns.

If any of our members are interested in finding out more or lending their support they can go to www.soilassociation.org/notinmybanger.aspx

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EC4 choir concert - Barbican - Friday March 11th, 19.30

Susan Evans another our members has sent us the following information

EC4 choir and music are putting on a concert at the Barbican on Friday March 11th, 19.30 (see below for details). Ticket prices are £10, £20, £25, £35 but with a £5 reduction on any of these prices if you quote 'EC4 Music Offer'. All profits to the Prince's Trust. The last time we did this we raised thousands for the trust. Please tell your friends.

You can book direct with the Barbican online booking office or I can do a block booking.

The concert: Barbican Hall

Prokofiev Concerto No 3 in C major for Piano & Orchestra

Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition

Duruflé Requiem, Op 9

EC4 Choir and Orchestra

Tim Crosley conductor

Olga Stezhko piano

Claire Seaton soprano

EC4 Music is delighted to return for its fifth fundraising concert in aid of The Prince's Trust with an evocative programme to stir the senses. Conductor Tim Crosley welcomes young Belarusan pianist Olga Stezhko for her debut Barbican performance with Prokofiev's wonderfully lyrical third Piano Concerto. We also hear Mussorgsky's ever-popular Pictures at an Exhibition and are treated to a performance of Duruflé's exquisite Requiem.

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Writing courses

New independent bookshop, cafe, and gallery Woolfson & Tay in Bermondsey Square, London SE1 offers an exciting series of writing and performance workshops for a creative start to 2011.

Comedy, music and more - celebrating 100 years of International Women’s Day - KOKO, Camden, Tuesday 8th March 2011

We are producing a sparkling, innovative evening of entertainment featuring stand up, character, sketches, magic and music. This will take place on Tuesday 8th March International Women’s Day (IWD) at the well known entertainment venue, KOKO in London’s Camden Town, a mecca for music, fashion and comedy.

Funny Women has celebrated IWD with a comedy show for the last seven years. However, this year is the 100th Anniversary of the first ever IWD and this new variety event is the perfect way to mark the occasion and engage the next generation of British women to carry on the tradition of celebrating the day.

The 100thAnniversary of IWD is being celebrated all over the world and our event aims to make young British women more aware of their role in western society and recognise that not all women globally have the same freedom and opportunities that are open to us.

Awareness for IWD has grown in the UK since Funny Women started out in 2002, and there is now a wide range of activities being planned across the UK to celebrate IWD being organised by different groups and networks under the banner of the EQUALS? Campaign see http://www.weareequals.org/. Despite this, the day itself remains an enigma - it isn’t always a news item, there’s no public holiday and it’s not necessarily ‘cool’ or even part of the agenda for the next generation of young women.

Music and comedy are both brilliant mediums for communicating messages – from protest songs to subversive humour, they are a barometer of our culture that we can use to reflect how women’s lives have changed over the last 100 years.

So this show is a modern day ‘march’ on the perceptions of women. It begins with a live show which features female opinion formers and role models. We will invite acts to perform stand up, sketch, music, magic, song, dance and even a bit of drama as we tell a story of change – past, present and future.

Our target audience is broad but the event is aimed at 18 to 25 year olds who are not as aware as we would like them to be. The essence of our event is to make this the place to be on the 8th March – a true celebration in an accessible, fun environment with the message being delivered with a memorable performance.

If you would like to be involved we are looking for sponsorship to cover production costs and organisations and individuals to help us market the show and sell tickets. There is also a corporate entertainment opportunity if you would like to entertain your customers or clients. Please either give us a call or email us at womensday@funnywomen.com so that we can send you more information.

If you work with a charity or NGO and would like to be part of the ‘big picture’ please visit http://www.weareequals.org/ and join the big debate. We want to make sure that women’s voices are properly heard on this very special anniversary.

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1A Arts Course for parents and children.

1A ARTS etc is offering parents and children (aged 7+) another chance to unleash their inner animator and give the creators of Wallace and Gromit a run for their money! This 3 session course will brighten up boring weekends in March. All participants will take home a DVD of their animation brought to life with their own characters and story. Please see attached for details. Early booking is recommended! Please forward this to anyone you know who might be interested. If you would like hard copies of this publicity for your workplace please call or email me to let me know how many copies you would like.

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November Meeting

Our November meeting is on Wednesday 15th November 2017. We'll be holding our AGM to review the year and elect a committee, and following that with a drama workshop.

November Craft Club

Our December craft club will take place on Tuesday 5th Novmeber 2017, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at Atlantis Books on Museum Street, when we'll be making paper Christmas tree table decorations!

Join LWEWI

Membership for 2017 is now payable. It costs £39.00 for the year, payable via cheque or cash at the next meeting or via PayPal using the button below.

Membership is non refundable and will expire at the end of 2017.

Guests are very welcome (visitor fee of £5 for non-WI members)

If you would like to come along to the next meeting then email us at londonwestendwi@gmail.com

LWEWI 2018 Membership

Click here to pay for 2017 membership via paypal:

British Museum Exhibitions

Members regularly get invited to the free community previews of BM exhibitions, usually the Sunday before an exhibition opens to the public. Our next visit is for "Scythians" or "Living With Gods"on the evening of Saturday 2nd December. Email us for info/tickets.

Monthly Meetings

We meet on the third Wednesday of every month, starting at 6.30pm

Where:

Upper Vestry Room,

St George's Bloomsbury,

Little Russell Street

London

WC1A 2HR

We are always happy to welcome guests (£5 per visit for non-WI members)